Good writing can avoid many problems of communication, but issues of structure, style and consistency still need to be considered. This is where editing comes in.

Editing is much more than eliminating errors. It is about making sure that your content is well structured and well written, so your audiences can easily find and understand the information.

Editing should make your content:

• clear, with language appropriate to the audience and no unnecessary jargon
• easy to navigate, with logical pathways and effective structures for text and visual content
• engaging, to attract and hold audience interest with active voice and short sentences
• accurate, with careful language to avoid misinterpretation or bias
• concise, with no overwritten or repeated text
• correct and consistent, with no errors or inconsistencies.

This chapter covers:

• Stages of editing
• Grammar
• Punctuation
• Spelling conventions
• Compound words
• Capital letters
• Font styles
• Lists
• Shortened forms
• Numbers and units
• Date and time systems
• Cross-references
• Presenting titles
• References.

Although this manual gives advice and guidance on a preferred editorial style, many organisations and publishers have their own styles, which may differ from AMOS style. Editors should follow the style requirements of the organisation they are working for.